ANNUAL REPORTS EDITION PAGES 9-13
n u nursing society
BC History of f
volume 26 | issue 2 | summer 2015
Fashion Parade
On Sunday April 19, 2015, A History of Nursing in Canada Presenta on and Fashion Show, narrated by Glennis Zilm, was presented to a sell out audience at the White Rock Museum. This event was part of a larger White Rock Museum & Archives display - Border Town Health Care: Historical Presenta ons. January 17 – May 31, 2015 The majority of the costumes were provided by Sheila Zerr from her extensive personal collec on. Twenty models graciously agreed to par cipate. Many were present or former White Rock Youth Ambassadors and the remainder were: HoN members, Sheila Zerr, Michel Eng and Cheryl Entwis le and Bernice Rolls who provided her own RCH student uniform, As Glennis said in her introductory comments: This mainly Canadian, historical show illustrates some typical a re as worn by nurses from the 1640s to the present. It indicates some of the influences of women’s dress on nurses – and some of the ways that nursing influenced women’s dress. Some of the costumes modeled: A Jeanne Mance dress – Canada’s “first lay nurse” circa 1640s, Canada’s First Na ons Nurses as personified by Amelia Douglas, Florence Nigh ngale dress circa 1860s, Schools of Nursing uniforms from the Provincial Royal Jubilee, Vancouver General, the Royal Columbian Hospitals and Bri sh Columbia Ins tute of Technology, as well as 2 student uniforms from the O awa Civic Hospital. World
also in this issue
War nursing uniforms were featured: a WW1 Red Cross and World War II Nursing Sister. A VON Nurse, circa 1940s - 1950s was also included. And to bring things up-to- date the last model wore the modern look of hospital nurses: “Tailored “Scrubs”. As Glennis said in her closing remarks: Many sƟll mourn the loss of the nurse’s “tradiƟonal uniform and cap” that so clearly idenƟfied a “real nurse.” But Ɵmes change. Perhaps one of the most important aspects of the uniform was the clear idenƟficaƟon of the nurse for paƟent and family and for working colleagues. The need for idenƟficaƟon of the nurse remains as important. as ever to the public and fellow professionals. Perhaps this need will sƟmulate changes we will see in the future – while allowing nurses to enjoy the freedom of comfortable, less formal, working aƫre. A special thank you to Michele Eng, photographer for this event
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IN THIS ISSUE: Fashion Parade Editor’s Message Archival Corner Navy Ship Named After Margaret Brooke Nomination of Sheila Zerr News About Members Annual Reports Honoring Nursing Sisters Journey to the Cariboo
Cover Page 3 Page 3 Page 4 Page 6-7 Page 8 Pages 9-13 Page 14 Page 15
Newsletter Committee Ethel Warbinek, & Sh
eila Zerr.
The BC History of Nursi ng
Society welcome. Deadline for the Fall Issue is Sept 15, 20 15. Please send submission s to: Sheila Zerr at srzerr@t elus.net
Photos from the “Fashion Parade”
Ariel Lu & Rachel Woo wearing nursing uniforms
Michele Eng (photographer for the event) as Ameria Douglas
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Bernice Rolls in her RCH student uniform
Hannie Hindle as a VON Nurse
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EDITORS’ DESK BY ETHEL WARBINEK
When wri ng this, we are experiencing an incredible period of warm, very dry weather. And according to the experts, will con nue throughout the summer. This edi on contains our annual reports, providing up-to-date informa on on the work of our very busy directors and commi ee members. Page#1, features a Fashion Parade, a wonderful event held at the White Rock Museum in April. Glennis Zilm was ac vely involved in the planning and was the key speaker. Sheila Zerr provided most of the 20 costumes from her extensive collec on. You will enjoy reading about Genelle’s incredible experience in Nepal. We are delighted to provide informa on on Sheila Zerr’s nomina on for Honorary Life Membership. This award will be presented at our 25h Anniversary celebra on September 20th at Hycro . We hope to see you there. As celebra ons con nue surrounding WW1, 2 ar cles are included: one Honoring Nursing Sisters, by Glennis and another one about Dr. Margaret Brooke, a nursing sister die cian, whose ship was torpedoed. She valiantly red to save the life of a fellow nursing sister and for this brave act, a navy ship is being named The Margaret Brooke.
“This edition contains our annual reports, providing up-to-date information on the work of our very busy directors and committee members.”
Archival Corner
Treasures from our archival collection By: Nan Martin
This beau ful replica of Florence Nigh ngale’s a ernoon gown is one of our special archival treasures. It is shown here modelled by the late Lois Blais, a past president of our group. Lois wore the gown when the UBC Opera Ensemble sang excerpts from the Canadian opera, Florence, The Lady of the Lamp during dinner at the Canadian History of Nursing (CAHN) conference hosted by the BC History of Nursing Group at St. Paul’s Hospital in 2006. In M. Patricia Donahue’s book, Nursing, the finest art, she wrote that Florence Nigh ngale demonstrated her skill as a nurse and administrator during the Crimean War (1854 – 1856). In the Barack Hospital, she transformed a place of horror into a haven where pa ents could truly convalesce. In the evenings, she made solitary rounds with her famous lamp. Longfellow immortalized this “Lady with a Lamp” in his poem of 1857, “Santa Filomena.” In 1951, Woodham-Smith (p. 179) wrote: Two figures emerged from the Crimea as heroic, the soldier and the nurse. In each case a transformaƟon in public esƟmaƟon took place, and in each case the transformaƟon was due to Miss NighƟngale. Never again was the BriƟsh soldier to be ranked as a drunken brute, the scum of the earth. He was now a symbol of courage, loyalty, and endurance, not a disgrace but a source of pride … Never again would the picture of a nurse be a Ɵpsy, promiscuous harridan. Miss NighƟngale had stamped the profession of nurse with her own image … in the midst of the muddle and the filth, the agony and the defeats, she had brought about a revoluƟon.
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NAVY SHIP NAMED AFTER
MARGARET BROOKE ‘NAVAL HERO’
The Royal Canadian Navy announced April 13, 2015, a new offshore patrol ship will be named a er Dr. Margaret Brooke, who tried to save her friend when the SS Caribou ferry sank off the coast of Newfoundland during the Second World War. The Caribou was torpedoed by a German submarine in the Cabot Strait on Oct. 14, 1942 and sank in five minutes. ‘I darned near drowned there’. Brooke, originally from Saskatchewan but now living in B.C., was a military nursing sister die cian, working in a new naval hospital at the me. She was en route to Port aux Basques, N.L., from North Sydney on the night the Caribou sank. Brooke’s family were visi ng her for her 100th birthday and that’s when she found about the news. “I had no idea that anything like this was about to occur. It took me completely by surprise, and I’m greatly honoured,” said Brooke. “I think it’s the first me they ever named a warship a er an individual, let alone a woman.” Margaret Brooke and fellow nursing Sister Agnes Wilkie were asleep in their cabin on the way to Port aux Basques when the torpedo hit the ferry. According to Brooke, they woke up when they were “thrown clear across the room,” and made their way up to the deck to discover their life boat was destroyed or gone altogether. When the ship sank, Brooke said they went down into the water with it. “We were just busy staying afloat un l an overturned lifeboat came along and the people on that helped us climb up on [the side] … and we just hung there for the rest of the night.” Brooke said the two women held on as long as they could, but Wilkie couldn’t hold on any longer — and Brooke held fast to Wilkie in an a empt to save the nurse’s
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life. “She collapsed and I held her as long as I could … I failed. I couldn’t hold her any longer,” said Brooke and Wilkie died. The naming of the new Arc c offshore vessels aims to “honour prominent Canadians who served with the highest dis nc on” in the navy, according to a statement from the Department of Na onal Defence. AddiƟonal informaƟon about Dr Brooke She was born in 1915 in Ardath, Saskatchewan, and studied as a die cian before the start of the Second World War. She enrolled as a Nursing Sister Die cian on March 9, 1942 at the rank of Sub-Lieutenant and was promoted to the rank of A/Lt on July 1, 1946. And then to Lieutenant (Navy) on January 1, 1948 and finally to Lieutenant-Commander on April 1, 1957. Margaret served in the Royal Canadian Navy from 1942 to 1962. For her selfless act in a emp ng to save fellow nursing Sister Agnes Wilkie, LCdr Brooke was named a Member of the Order of the Bri sh Empire. Following her return to civilian life, Margaret completed her university studies in paleontology at the University of Saskatchewan, where she achieved her doctorate. She is the author of numerous research studies on the subject. Upon re rement she moved to Victoria, B.C. where she s ll resides today. Sources: Brooke tried to save fellow nurse’s life a er ferry torpedoed by German submarine in WWII CBC News Posted: Apr 13, 2015. h p://www.forces.gc.ca/
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The BC History of Nursing Group - Society is
Celebrating 25 years! With an Elegant Afternoon Tea September 20, 2015 | 2PM - 4PM
Hycroft Mansion 1489 McRae Ave, Vancouver Ladies: Hats woujld be lovely Gents: No hats required
Program: Greetings: Nora Whyte Honour: Joan Andrews Honour: Sheila Zerr
Speaker: Glennis Zilm “Nursing in the Battlefields” RSVP by Sept 10: lenoremail@shaw.ca
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Nomination of
Sheila Zerr
Honorary Life Membership BCHNS
Sheila’s nominaƟon was accepted at our AGM in April. Her Honorary Award will be presented at the Special 25th Anniversary event on September 20, 2015 2-4 PM at HycroŌ. Sheila Zerr’s excellence as a professional nurse and the depth and breadth of her exper se locally, provincially, na onally, and interna onally make her a wonderful nominee for the B. C. History of Nursing Society Honorary Life Membership Award. She a notable clinician and despite being “semi-re red” remains an outstanding nursing educator, administrator, coordinator, mentor, and researcher. She has had a life-long interest in history of nursing and for the last 30 years has strongly promoted and supported it. She was a founding member BCHNS and remains ac ve in history of nursing ac vi es on a variety of fronts. A major role early on was her work as chair of the Oral History Commi ee, both as a skilled interviewer and as a teacher of oral history techniques to other volunteers. This group recorded interviews with notable BC nurses. Sheila established the ini al liaison with RNABC Library for storage and maintenance of the audio tapes. This oral history collec on is considered one of the finest in Canada and is widely used by nursing researchers. Sheila’s main career was as a nursing educator, and was consistently rated
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a “best teacher” by students, novice educators, and colleagues. Her knowledge, support, compassion, pa ence, endurance, and sense of humour have been an incen ve to many and appreciated by all. A na ve Bri sh Columbian, she received her basic nursing educa on at the Royal Jubilee Hospital in Victoria, then received a Cer ficate in Public Health Nursing and her BSN, and MEd degrees from the University of O awa. She taught in the University of O awa Nursing program (1971-1985), where she received the University’s 1981 award of merit for her excep onal teaching abili es. Moving back to her home province of B.C. in 1985, she began teaching clinical courses in distance educa on programs at the University of Victoria. More recently, she has par cipated in developing an on-line history of nursing course offered through Malespina College (now North Island University). Sheila’s experse in clinical nursing is revealed in some of her many wri ngs, including contribu ons to nursing texts and history of nursing books. She is an Adjunct Professor for the UBC School of Nursing, and con nues to provide guest lectures, usually on history of nursing, at local schools of nursing. A sought-a er guest speaker for local groups, she o en uses the well-researched, exquisitely-designed, miniature, historical figures and tableaux she created for BCHNS
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or her outstanding collec on of nursing uniforms and costumes to provide costume parades both for schools of nursing and others. These cap vate audiences. Her nursing miniatures have raised more than $12,000 for BCHNS Scholarship funds. Throughout her career, Sheila has a reputa on as a superb administrator and coordinator. She is frequently the unacknowledged driving force behind an effec ve project and any enterprise in which she is involved tends to be a great success. An example can be found in her role as chair of an interna onal conference on history of nursing co-sponsored by the BC History of Nursing Society. The superbly successful 1997 Interna onal History of Nursing Conference held in Vancouver was due mainly to Sheila’s skills. This was one of the largest history of nursing conferences in CAHN’s history and a racted 155 par cipants from around the world. Not only that, it made a profit of $10,000 to be used by CAHN and BCHNS. Sheila frequently serves on the execu ve of professional groups. She was a founding member and served on the execuve of the Canadian Associa on for the History of Nursing. Her work in other na onal organiza ons, such as the Canadian Associa on of University Schools of Nursing (CAUSN) and the Canadian Nurses Associa on, has allowed her to develop a network of colleagues across the country. She has also been ac ve in health care beyond professional nursing organiza ons. For example, she made significant contribu ons to St. John Ambulance at the local (O awa), provincial, and na onal levels. Sheila has been ac ve at the community level in the move to health care reform in Bri sh Columbia, serving as a member of the Delta Health Council and chair of the Delta Health Care Service Providers Advisory Commi ee. She con nues to par cipate in regional health ac vi es and has the respect of community poli cians and organizers through her knowledge of health
issues and her excellent communica on and interpersonal skills. Sheila has been ac ve since gradua on in the Royal Jubilee Hospital School of Nursing Alumnae Associa on and a mainstay of its Lower Mainland Branch, suppor ng the development of its archives and website. She was instrumental in researching informaon on heritage buildings for the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada for its project on historic nurses’ residences and, as a result of Sheila’s efforts, Begbie Hall at the Royal Jubilee Hospital was selected as one of four na onal historic significant nursing residences and is a protected site. Sheila has contributed significantly to nursing through her scholarly ac vi es and research. She was Principal Inves gator for two major research projects on Child Care in the Home that received major funding from the Na onal Health Research and Development Program (1983-1984). More recently, her research has been in the development of innova ve distance educaon courses for nurses and in history of nursing. Currently she is collec ng anecdotal histories from nurses from Canada’s northern areas, and has published papers on these topics as well as presenta ons at pres gious professional conferences. In addi on to all this, Sheila is happily married to Ray, a former senior officer with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. They have two wonderful sons and daughters-in-law, and she is deligh ully proud of their accomplishments and those of her lively grandchildren. Sheila has made significant outstanding contribu ons to nursing in B.C. and especially to history of nursing. She is an outstanding role model and we are pleased to nominate her for the BCHNS’s Honorary Life Membership.
Nomination prepared by Glennis Zilm & Ethel Warbinek
“Sheila has made significant outstanding contributions to nursing in B.C. and especially to history of nursing. She is an outstanding role model and we are pleased to nominate her for the BCHNS’s Honorary Life Membership.”
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NEWS ABOUT MEMBERS Congratula ons, Professor GEERTJE BOSCHMA who has a ained full Professorship in UBC School of Nursing. She was honoured by her colleagues in a Special Lecture Series in the Faculty of Applied Science on April 21, 2015. A Celebra on of Promo on was held to recognize five excep onal people for their promo on to the posi on of Professor. Geertje’s excellent paper was en tled: Nursing and Health: Why History Ma ers. GLENNIS ZILM received the 2015 UBC School of Nursing’s Community Partnership Award at the School of Nursing Alumni Awards Partnership Awards Gala on May 7, 2015. She was recognized for her dedica on and personal commitment to educa ng, mentoring and suppor ng future genera ons of students. The 2015 CAHN/ACHN Annual Conference at the Congress of the Humani es and Social Sciences May 29- June 1 in O awa, ON. • LYDIA WYTENBROEK, who is working on her doctorate at York University, presented a paper: “The nursing problem is acute”: American Medical Missionaries and the Development of Trained Nursing in Iran, 1920-1960. • CATHERINE HANEY and GEERTJE BOSCHMA also a ended the mee ng. NAN MARTIN and GLENNIS ZILM a ended the B.C. Historical Federa on mee ng in Quesnel May 21-24. A Nursing Cafe held by the Nursing Department at Trinity Western University in April featured history of nursing topics. DR. SONYA GRYPMA, dean and professor, offered a commentary about the relevance of nursing history to the profession today. The main speaker was Susan Martens Kehler of Abbotsford, who shared stories of her
Glennis Zilm receiving UBC Nursing award Photo Credit: vsaranphoto.com
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years (1957—1980) at the Mennonite Chris an Hospital Nursing School in Taiwan. She is the author of Journey of Many Steps, a history of the Taiwan School. Members Ethel Warbinek and Glennis Zilm a ended the evening event. MICHELE ENG had a le er to the editor published in the April issue of Canadian Nurse; a comment that she had made on Facebook was picked up and included. Michele, a community health nurse supervisor, works with First Na ons people through the Nuu-chahnulth Tribal Council in Port Alberni. Congratula ons to NAN MARTIN who graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Simon Fraser University on June 10th. She says she enjoyed it enormously, especially the opportuni es to engage in discussion with the bright young students in her courses. HELEN VANDENBERG, who defended her doctoral disserta on in Spring, is working as an instructor on the faculty of the new University of Regina Nursing program. May 13, 2015, the Vancouver Community Nurses held their annual Nurses Week event at Van Duesen Gardens in Vancouver. We were invited to par cipate and had a display table. CHERYL ENTWISTLE wore a 1905 “Walking Out” RJH uniform. KATHY MURPHY dressed a mannequin in our Florence Nigh ngale costume. (see photo last page) BCNU day at VGH: SUE FORSHAW and KATHY MURPHY provided a display at the BCNU Day held at VGH on June 11. Many services available to BCNU members were represented and the new BCNU logo was featured on the publica ons.
Nan MarƟn receiving her degree
BCNU Day at VGH
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B.C. HISTORY OF NURSING SOCIETY 2014 ANNUAL REPORTS The following reports were presented at the Annual General Meeting on April 24th, 2014. Due to space restrictions, some reports have been edited. If you wish to see the full report, please contact us or the committee chair.
01. President’s Report
by: KATHY MURPHY, PRESIDENT
In the 25th year of opera on, this Nursing group now called the BC History of Nursing Society, con nues to meet on a regular basis and to carry out the objec ves of the Society. Following a successful planning session in June, Future Planning ideas were generated and refined at the mee ngs held in September, October, December and February. Several of the items required financial resources so were included in the Budget for 2015. Nursing Week and the UBC School of Nursing Woodward Lecture provided opportuni es to display the BC History Society as well as the promised Ceremony recognizing Ethel Johns as a person of historic interest. With many other members I was pleased to take part in the Ethel Johns event held on February 10, 2015 at UBC. The BC Historical Federa on Annual mee ng and Conference was held in Cloverdale in June and provided many ac vi es to learn about the wealth of history in our province. As the CRNBC Library was being relocated and Joan Andrews was leaving her posi on as Librarian in early 2015, an inventory of all historic and donated items to RNABC and CRNBC was requested. Of par cular interest was the Schools of Nursing Pin Collec on which had been created by our member Irene Goldstone. As the Society celebrates many years of discovering, dissemina ng and preserving nursing history, the members are also facing the reality of reduced human resources. Sincere apprecia on is extended to all those dedicated members who carry out the work of our group.
02. Treasurer’s Report
by: SUE FORSHAW, TREASURER
The financial status of the History of Nursing is very stable. The membership increased slightly from 2013, approximately $500.00 worth and dona ons went up considerably thanks to a generous dona on from Nina Rumen. The following acƟviƟes are complete or will be before the end April: 2014 BCHoN Income Tax 2014 BCHoN Financial Statement 2014 financial review by Wendy Orvig (paid consultant) 2014 T4A tax forms filed with the CRA and scholarship recipients have received the short T4A forms for their income tax returns
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Two scholarships of $1000.00 and $6000.00 were awarded. The bank account was $9,952.21 as of the end of December 2014. The investment total was $120,206.06 as of the end of December 2014. The 2014 budget was revised and presented for approval at the annual mee ng. b . c . h i s t o ry o f n u r s i n g s o c i e t y
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03. Archives
By: MARJORY RALSTON, CHAIR
Members: Ethel Warbinek (oral histories and Biographies) Nan MarƟn, Marjory Ralston (Chair) The major work has been related to the UBC School of Nursing Historic Collec on and is being carried out by Ethel Warbinek with the assistance of our Archivist Francis Mansbridge. The collec on contains both archival documents and ar facts. The School of Nursing has contributed to the project by dona ng money for special archival containers. Other ongoing projects are upda ng the biographies and expanding the informa on posted on the website. One ongoing project relates to the oral histories and the discussion with CRNABC as to the appropriate storage, ownership and legal copyright. A further mee ng is being arranged with CRNABC. Since September, because of illness, the Commi ee has been func oning with only two members. This has resulted in a delay in the task of archiving our ar facts. Throughout the year we increased our storage capacity. Our large glass display cabinet was transported from CRNABC to UBC School of Nursing and is now situated on a main corridor. It contains a display of Sheila Zerr’s miniature dolls and a racts much interest. Room #271, in the School, was acquired for our ar facts and a set of shelves has been dedicated to the Display Commi ee. Finally, to solve the problem of housing the UBC School of Nursing Collec on, we have acquired a wooden bookcase from UBC. We con nue to add small items to our documents. Ethel contributed more informa on about Madeline Harrower which has been added to Lois Blais’ fond. Some small new ar facts have also been donated. We con nue to have visitors seeking informa on. Addi ons to the Web Site are ongoing. A er much research about the value of the Inuit sculpture, gi ed from Dr Margaret Campbell’s estate, it was decided it should be donated to the School of Nursing. It was presented to Dr Susanne Campbell for the Director’s office. The process of acquiring our new computer con nues. We are working with Bob Wilson in the School of Nursing and Evan Burrows of Technical Services who will order the computer. When it arrives, Technical Services will install, transfer data and hook us up to the UBC system. The final project s ll outstanding is the security locks for Room #271 and Room #T260. We will con nue to work on this. Major tasks for the coming year are archiving the ar facts, comple ng the School of Nursing Historic Collec on which will have a Finding Aid (catalogue) dedicated to collec on and a separate division on the Archives Sec on of the web site.
04. Biographical
by: ETHEL WARBINEK, CHAIR
Members: Linda Lister, Ethel Warbinek – chair In 2014, CRNBC as part of their reorganiza on, decided to no longer keep duplicate copies of our biographical files in their library. These files were destroyed. New files have been added to our collec on as well as addi onal items to exis ng files. We have started pos ng summary informa on along with photographs on our website. This will take me. A special thank you to Linda Lister who was so helpful in assis ng with photocopying and to our archivist for all his work with the biographies.
05. Oral History
by: ETHEL WARBINEK, CHAIR
MEMBERS: Marjorie Ralston, Sheila Zerr, Ethel Warbinek -chair One oral history interview was submi ed. Gloria Stephens interviewed Julie Roach, formerly Sister Scholas ca in Halifax. A biographical file and several photographs were also submi ed by Gloria. At the request of Joan Andrews, CRNBC librarian, we completed copying all the interview summaries which are kept in a binder in their library. Back-up copies are now available in our Archives.
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06. Newsletter
BY: LYNNE ESSON & SHEILA ZERR
Members: Lynne Esson (chair) Beth Fitzpatrick, Ethel Warbinek, Naomi Miller, Sheila Zerr Mee ngs: At the call of the chairperson, few mee ngs were held and mostly by email. CommiƩee AcƟviƟes: Three full issues of the history of nursing newsle er were published in 2014. All issues were guided by Anita Petersen’s design and graphics. We thank Julie Lapinsky for her assistance with labels and membership lists. Also thanks to Lenore Radom who works with the printer and facilitates the mailing for those who do not have e-mail and Lynne Esson who sends out the newsle ers electronically. Editors for 2014 Spring: Enewle er by Beth Fitzpatrick | Summer: Ethel Warbinek | Fall: Glennis Zilm
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Future Plans: We will con nue to issue 3 newsle ers per year with the winter issue being replaced by a special membership mailing.
07. Pages of History
By: Sheila J. Rankin Zerr, Chair
MEMBERS: Sheila Zerr (chair) Lenore Radom, Pages to date: There are 87 pages of history, 80 hard copies and 10 on the web site. An addi onal 2 web site pages are currently under development. There are three sets of albums. Two are used for History of Nursing Society displays. One set is archival and contains consents. Consent forms have been revised to obtain consent for web site and future digital access. RecommendaƟons: • We recommend that we complete the pages of history of our execu ve members and place them on our web site. Currently, we have 4 execu ve member pages on the website. • The web site pages have been slow to catch on but interest is growing so we recommend con nuing the project.
08. Scholarship
by: KATHY MURPHY, CHAIR
The Spring 2014 Scholarship Award was given to Sandra Hlina, a Masters student at UBC. Her study was “To explain and understand the transi on of nursing educa on from the hospital based educa on model to the academic model using the biographical framework of Mary Lewis Richmond”. There were no Scholarship applica ons in the Fall. The Spring 2015 Scholarship Award will be given to Lydia Wytenbroek, a PhD student at York University. Her disserta on examines the role of American missionary nurses in Iranian medical ins tu ons from 1920 to 1960. This study will inves gate the transcultural dimensions of interna onal nursing work.
09. Program
by: LENORE RADOM
May 17, 2014 a lovely luncheon was held at the Vancouver Lawn Tennis club, which turned out to be our last one under the good care of George Walker. It featured our guest speaker, Margaret Scaia on “Working Professionalism: Working in Calgary & Vancouver in 1958 – 1977” and was enjoyed by 33 guests. A September workshop directed by Jennifer Stephens on how to navigate social media was cancelled. November 20, 2014 was the 2nd annual Nursing History Symposium Fall event at UBC. It was well a ended with two interes ng topics. Presenters: Mona Gleason: “the healthy child” & Linda Quiney: her inves ga on of Canadian women as Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) nurses during and a er World War One. Plans for 2015 are under way for our 25th Anniversary on Sept 20th at Hycro . SuggesƟons: • We will honour Joan Andrews • Hear from Nora Whyte who was the first speaker at the inaugural mee ng of the History Group • Glennis Zilm will present “Nursing in the Ba lefields” b . c . h i s t o ry o f n u r s i n g s o c i e t y
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10. Membership
by: JULIE MARIE LAPINSKY
The membership went up slightly from 2013. 2014 Numbers were as follows: • Honorary Members 6 • Full Members 59 • Affiliate Members 10 • Student Members 3 • Total 7
11. Nominations
By: SHEILA OXHOLM
The following Directors were elected for a one-year term ending a er Annual General Mee ng in 2014 President Secretary Membership
Kathy Murphy Lynne Esson Sue Forshaw
Vice President Treasurer Member-at-Large
12. Parks Canada Nomination
Vacant Sue Forshaw Nan MarƟn
by: NAN MARTIN
Ethel Johns (1879 - 1968) Delighted to report that Ethel Johns, first Director of the UBC School of Nursing, has been honoured by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, Parks Canada, as a “Person of Na onal Historic Significance.” A recogni on ceremony on February 10, 2015 at Cecil Green Park at UBC was a ended by 40 guests. The bronze plaque will likely be mounted in the pa ent park near the Acute Care Hospital Pavilion, which now houses the UBC School of Nursing. There are plans to renovate the pa ent park prior to installa on of the plaque. Please check the Blog on our website www.bcnursinghistory.ca for further informa on and links to a full report and photos of this memorable occasion. Canada’s Military Nurses as a NaƟonal Historic Event. Nominated August 2010 by Canadian Associa on for the History of Nursing with the support of BCHNS. Glennis Zilm wrote the proposal on behalf of CAHN and BCHNS. No further news to date.
13. Website
by: LENORE RADOM, CHAIR
Core Members: Beth Fitzpatrick, Jennifer Stephens [Facebook & TwiƩer], Lenore Radom [Chair].
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Our Maintenance fee has increased to $966.00 Fee for addi onal hours ie biographical files is $50/hr. 2014 Newsle ers being added [hasn’t appeared yet] Blog & Events pages being kept current & added to by Beth & myself. Facebook & Twi er have been kept current by Jennifer Stephens Training session for Beth & myself being scheduled with Anita for end of April hopefully to add /change photos , and to add pdfs to online exhibits / monuments.[not confirmed yet] Page of history sponsored by Michelle Rooney added, as well as Karen Steward Jennifer reports that there are 169 Twi er followers & 28 likes for Facebook. Anita reports: 16 people that have filled in the ‘sign up’ sec on at bo om of menu bar, giving us permission to send no ce etc, so we are double protected with this & the statement we have on the membership applica on form. VOL 26 | ISSUE 2 | SUMMER 2015 | PAGE: 12
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14. Memorial Book
by: LYNNE ESSON, CHAIR
There were no nomina ons this year for the Memorial Book. This was due to the CRNBC Memorial Book transi on to the ARNBC. This has now been fully moved over with a new submission deadline of October 1, 2015. Follow up is needed with the CNA regarding submissions for the CAN memorial book, due to administra ve changes; there were no submissions this year. If you know of or hear of someone who should be nominated please let the Chair of the Commi ee know.
15. BC Historical Federation
by: NAN MARTIN
The 2014 ac vi es of the Federa on include: • The Federa on, in partnership with the Surrey Historical Society, hosted the two day annual conference in historic Cloverdale on June 6th and 7th, 2014. Glennis Zilm and I a ended as vo ng delegates on behalf of our society. Kathy Murphy, Ethel Warbinek and Mary Wa a ended on behalf of Vancouver General Hospital, School of Nursing Alumnae Associa on – Kathy as vo ng delegate and Ethel and Mary as Alumnae recipients for the 2013 Best Newsle er Award! Congratula ons!
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The conference was a huge success. The Friday evening Opening recep on, held in Surrey’s excellent Museum, welcomed historians from throughout BC. Her Honour, the Lieutenant Governor of Bri sh Columbia, Judith Guichon, presented the annual book awards at the recep on. The AGM on Saturday morning was well a ended and the hosts for the 2015 conference invited all members to Journey to the Cariboo to Quesnel (May 21st to 23rd, 2015). Publica on of their quarterly Bri sh Columbia History Magazines and Newsle ers. The Newsle ers were sent electronically to our President, Kathy Murphy, then forwarded to our on-line members, thus reaching out to more readers. The Newsle er is also available on their excellent website www.bchistory.ca which is well worth viewing. The Federa on’s latest project - B.C. History Online – con nues in the crea on of an online encyclopedia of Bri sh Columbia History. Johnson Inc., a corporate member and partner con nues to support the Federa on with special member rates for Medoc travel insurance and home insurance. As a Member Society, our members are eligible for coverage.
16. Displays
by: CHERYL ENTWISTLE, CHAIR
Members: Margaret Saunders assisted by Glennis Zilm, Nan MarƟn, Catherine Haney, Bruce Holvich. Margaret Saunders has resigned Over the past year the History of Nursing belongings were dismantled and removed from CRNBC to the School of Nursing. All the display cabinets are now located on the 3rd floor. Cabinets in the School of Nursing are as follows: • Cabinet # 1: The large glass display case moved from CRNBC, features a deligh ul display of Sheila Zerr’s Portrait Miniatures, 2 porcelain nursing figures plus a Florence Nigh ngale figure. It looks terrific and is well recognized by faculty and students. Our hope is it will remain for some me. • Cabinet # 2: A table was delegated for History of Nursing displays in the Learning Resource Centre. It featured photos, ar facts and informa on related to Ethel Johns’ tenure as head of the UBC School of Nursing. The UBC-owned mannequin displayed a miniuniform loaned by Ethel Warbinek over the spring and summer. • The Learning Resource Centre is currently being remodeled thus displays will not be arranged for this area at this me. • Cabinet # 3: The long glass cabinet, located in the hall across from the School of Nursing Administra on Office, is presently honouring Ethel Johns as a successful nominee as a “person of na onal historic significance” by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, Parks Canada. A mee ng of the Display and Archives commi ees will be held in May to discuss display items in the Archives office. Extra space has been allocated for displays on the 3rd floor of the School of Nursing. This will facilitate the work of this commi ee. Access to this space allows us to gather display materials into one area, have easy access and keep an up-to-date inventory. b . c . h i s t o ry o f n u r s i n g s o c i e t y
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Honoring Nursing Sisters BY GLENNIS ZILM
Many ceremonies are being held this year to honor Canada’s Nursing Sisters, especially those who served in World War 1. The BC History of Nursing Society is fortunate to have a number of Nursing Sisters among its members, including Joan Doree and June Newton, who served overseas in World War II, Nina Rumen, who served with the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps from 1951 to 1974, and Shirley Ridalls, who has helped organize recent events for Vancouver’s Memorial Day services. The BCHNS also had close es with the Nursing Sisters Associa on of Canada, Vancouver Branch, un l it disbanded a few years ago because of the dwindling number of overseas Nursing Sisters from WW2. The Society has also been ac ve in promo ng memorials to honor Canada’s Nursing Sisters. One of the first ac vi es was to assist in restoring and maintaining the Nursing Sister (N/S) Window in the Canadian Memorial Church at 15th Avenue and Burrard Street in Vancouver. Working with the N/S Associa on, the Society established its first note card in 1990 to help raise $4,400 for the restora on. At that me, Nina Rumen wrote a short news item for The Canadian Nurse on the project. The short ar cle below is adapted, with approval of Nina, from that and from addi onal notes prepared at the me. The Canadian War Memorial Church was the dream of Army Chaplain Rev. (Lt.-Col.) George D. Fallis, who had officiated at a service to bury 54 Canadian Military personnel, including four Nursing Sisters, who died in the bombing of a military field hospital in Etaples, France. Most of those dead were from Bri sh Columbia. While trudging back to the destroyed hospital site, one of the surviving nurses suggested to Rev. Fallis that there should be a memorial chapel erected to honor those who died during the War. Earlier, a soldier had also suggested that the dead deserved a las ng memorial “at home” and not just a row of wooden crosses. Rev. Fallis resolved that, if he survived, he would build just such a chapel as a memorial for peace. When Rev. Fallis arrived in Vancouver in 1920 he found a congrega on already imbued with the same ideas. The Church
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wanted to involve Canadians from coastto-coast and plans went ahead quickly. Specifica ons involved ten stained glass windows; one for each province and the Territories, as well as a Chancel window and an All-Canada window. The entrance sec on would house four stained glass windows, depic ng a soldier, sailor, airman, and nursing sister. Money for these four windows was raised by the service personnel who had served overseas; the funds for the N/S window were raised by the Vancouver N/S Unit, who asked each Sister across Canada to donate $2. The chapel was dedicated in November 1928, exactly 10 years a er the Armis ce was signed ending the War. That same year, the Montreal Unit proposed a na on-wide Overseas Nursing Sisters’ Associa on of Canada (ONSAC). A planning mee ng was held during the Interna onal Council of Nurses mee ng in Montreal in 1929 and the inaugural mee ng of the new na onal associaon was held in 1930, with annual dues set at 10 cents a member. At the end of the year, finances were short by $31 and dues were increased by 50 per cent to 15 cents a member. Even before World War 2 was declared in 1939, the ONSAC execu ve was raising funds for war work. Following the declara on, among the first to volunteer for service were its members. When the Nursing Sisters Associa on of Canada, Vancouver Branch (the “Overseas” had been dropped in 1944), set out to raise money for repair and restora on of the N/S window in 1990, the members, with the aid of the BCHNS, commissioned a Note Card depic ng the window. Once the funds had been raised, monies from the sales went at first to support a NSAC scholarship, then went to support the scholarship funds of the BCHNS. Now, with the rise of internet communica ons, note cards sales have dwindled and there are only a few remaining cards for sale. Orders can be placed through the BCHNS website at www.bcnursinghistory.ca.
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Journey to the Cariboo BY GLENNIS ZILM
BC History of Nursing Society was among 23 society members represented at the BC Historical Federa on’s annual general mee ng and conference in Quesnel May 21-14. Nan Mar n, who is the Society’s official representa ve to BCHF, and Glennis Zilm were among the 82 delegates to the conference, which was tled “Journey to the Cariboo.” The mee ng included a day-long side-trip to historic Barkerville and to Co onwood, historic pack-train stop on the Cariboo Trail. It also included a brief tour of the former gold-field town of Wells, complete with knowledgeable guides and background history sessions while on the bus. During the visit to Barkerville, Nan and Glennis took part in the tour of the significant (and well-funded) Barkerville Archives. Most speakers at the main and concurrent sessions reported on historical research related to the Cariboo Gold Rush years of 1858 to 1868 when the Quesnel-Barkerville area was a significant economic sector of what would eventually become Bri sh Columbia. Tours of the Quesnel Museum and Archives were also included, as well as other op onal events, such as a movie night showing history documentaries of the region. Each year at the banquet, the Federa on awards the BC Lieutenant-GovNan Mar n (le ) and Glennis Zilm with BCHF Past-president Barry ernor’s Medal for Historical Wri ng, along with money prizes, to the authors of the Gough. Nan Mar n (le ) and Glennis Zilm with BCHF Past-president top three books that make the most significant contribu ons to the historical litBarry Gough. erature of Bri sh Columbia. The book awards are usually presented by the Federaon’s Patron, the Lieutenant-Governor of BC; unfortunately this year the Honorable Judith Guichon was unable to a end. Greg Dickson and Mark Forsythe took home the $2,500 top cheque for From the West Coast to the Western Front: Bri sh Columbians and the Great War (Harbour Publishing). Awards are also given for best newsle er and best website, prizes that in past years have been received by the BCHNS. An essay scholarships and an award for the best ar cle published in the BCHF’s journal BC History were also given. The Historical Federa on represents about 300 member historical socie es throughout the province, including affiliate and corporate members. Members of each historical society are automa cally members of the BCHF and eligible to a end such conferences. Next year’s mee ng and conference are scheduled for Revelstoke.
News from Nepal from Genelle Liefso Genelle – a long- me member of our group, is in Nepal working with a Canadian Red Cross team in a hospital in the earthquake zone. The Canadian Red Cross is opera ng a field hospital with an opera ng theatre. On June 17, Genelle emailed her experiences: “We are suppor ng (not replacing) the Rasuwa District Hospital at Dhunche. The loca on is ered on a mountain with 5 different levels. Ge ng to the hospital from town is an amazing “Stairmaster” workout. All ... hospital ac vi es are occurring in tents. And I will be reloca ng with the other team members to the team tents once our handover is complete. Nepalese hospital staff are also living in tents....right beside the Red Cross delegates. “If the roads are open, the drive from Kathmandu to Dhunche is 5 hours. One third of the road is subject to landslides, and these were visible when we drove up.... Some of the Red Cross team had to wait 2 hours for the road to be cleared.
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The devasta on once one leaves Kathmandu is obvious. Of concern is the imminent monsoon season. It is apparently 5 days late.....but already the nightly rains are very heavy. For the homeless families, living in tents, it is bound to be an increasingly difficult period. “Since we are now here, the idea of ge ng out and coming back to Canada has not really crossed my mind. There are 2 helipads nearby our loca on, so if it comes to that – well, I expect to be able to get home. “At our security briefing we were told there have been 20,000 a ershocks of greater than 4 magnitude since the earthquake..., 311 a ershocks also greater than 4. On average there have been 3-6 per day. So far, I haven’t felt anything.”
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Cheryl Entwistle at Community Nurses Week display at Van Duesen Gardens. Photo credit Bruce Holvick
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